In my previous articles, I talked about writing a novel and how to publish it. However, after getting it published, the daunting task of trying to sell begins. In this day and age readers are decreasing in numbers, so it is getting harder to find buyers. However, with good marketing, the right audience can be targeted— for which good market research is vital.
Advertise on Social Media
Marketing is all about exposure. The more exposure your book gets, the more likely it is to sell. With Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, it is very easy to spread the word about your new self-published book. And guess what? It’s free! This is why your book cover needs to look professional. An amateur looking cover won’t sell. When posting on Twitter and Instagram it’s also useful to use hashtags in order to reach a larger audience. There are certain websites which recommend popular hashtags which can be copied and pasted to the post. In order to reach a higher audience, this can be achieved by using Facebook and Instagram promotion from your business/ author pages, or Amazon ads. However, this is not free, but doesn’t cost too much.
Organise a Launch Party
Before the release date, plan a launch party for when your book is released. This will create a major buzz. It doesn’t have to be an expensive event. It can be a simple house or garden party, with free giveaways. If you can get the local paper involved, it will be a bonus.
Free Giveaways
Free giveaways are always fun and people love them, because they are FREE! You can organise a free giveaway on one of your social media sites. And gift the winners a signed copy of your book. Amazon also has a free promotional download option, where it gives you five different days to set your eBook on a free promotion. I find that my sales always increase after the free giveaways and promotions.
Mailing List
Create an emailing list and send a small message telling people that your new book is out. Don’t make it long, as this will bore people. And don’t forget to include your book’s link!
Find an Influencer
High-profile people (influencers) have a large number of followers. Finding a high-profile person to post or share your post of them holding your book, will definitely boost sales. But you must make sure the influencer is related to the genre of your book.For example, my last book is a fictional sport novel about a footballer. So therefore, I gave a signed copy to a professional footballer and he ended up sharing it on his Instagram story. The results were phenomenal.
Be Active on the Social Media Platform
There is one thing to remember. At the end of the day you are not marketing your brand, but your name as an author. Successful authors names shine above their books.Examples of this are Stephen King, James Patterson, Dan Brown and John Grisham. Being active on the social media platform is a good way of promoting your name.
Media Exposure
Try and get interviews with local radios, local TV stations, newspapers and magazines. Offer free books! Also offer to write blogs as a guest author on online magazines. Remember all this is brilliant exposure for your book!
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